Ryanair will add 150,000 seats to its winter schedule at Manchester and Liverpool, the carrier announced, alongside seven new routes serving the two northwest England airports.

The capacity injection reinforces Ryanair's position as the dominant low-cost operator in the region. Manchester and Liverpool sit roughly 35 miles apart, and the airline has historically split growth between them depending on cost agreements with airport operator Manchester Airports Group, which runs both hubs. Ryanair has repeatedly shown willingness to shift aircraft between the two when charges or incentive terms change.

The 150,000-seat figure covers the coming winter season. Seven new routes will open across the two bases, though the airline's announcement did not immediately break down the split — which airports receive which destinations, and on what start dates, remains to be confirmed in the full schedule release.

For Manchester and Liverpool, the expansion matters in a winter period when seat supply traditionally contracts and airport revenues lean more heavily on charges per passenger than on retail and parking income driven by leisure peaks. Added based capacity also strengthens the case for route-development incentives negotiated with carriers during the quieter months.

The move is consistent with Ryanair's pattern of using winter additions to keep aircraft productive ahead of the summer peak, when its fleet — one of the largest in Europe — operates at maximum utilisation. Winter expansion at secondary and primary airports alike has been a recurring feature of the carrier's growth strategy, often announced airport by airport as commercial agreements are concluded.

Route-level detail, frequencies and launch dates for the seven new services are expected in the carrier's forthcoming schedule publication, which will determine how the 150,000 seats distribute across the two airports and over the season.